RCMP have announced charges against three men who allegedly helped Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil escape from a B.C. jail in 2022. He’s been on the loose ever since.
The 38-year-old has an extensive criminal record and was convicted in a 2012 Toronto murder, as well as a murder in Vancouver that same year, and was a member of Canada’s most wanted list after the escape.
Alkhalil, originally from Montreal, was being held in the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on murder charges when he escaped on July 21, 2022.
Police said Monday that three men have been charged for their roles in Alkhalil’s escape. They did not confirm whether Alkhalil himself had been arrested.
Edward Ayoub, 48, and John Potvin, 49 — both originally from Ottawa — and Ryan van Gool, 46, from Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., have been charged with conspiracy to commit prison breach and prison breach.
RCMP Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha said on Monday that video footage released from the prison break helped officers identify the men who allegedly aided Alkhalil’s escape.
“As this investigation is in court, I won’t be able to go into details exactly who was on that video,” she said.
In July 2022, two men posing as contractors driving a white Econoline van helped Alkhalil break out of the pretrial centre while he was awaiting a murder trial.
Later that same year, the Bolo Program — which stands for “be on the lookout” — moved Alkhalil to the top of its list of 25 most wanted fugitives in Canada.
As of Monday, the program’s website stated it was offering up to $50,000 for information that could lead to his arrest.
Bolo works to amplify notices about wanted criminals and is the main activity of a charitable organization started by the founder and CEO of GardaWorld Security Corporation.
Ayoub and van Gool are in custody now, police say.
Potvin is currently wanted on a Canada-wide warrant on the charges, according to police, and residents have been asked to call police if they see him.
Murder plot foiled, police say
Police also announced further charges in relation to alleged murder plots and shootings around B.C. that saw the involvement of van Gool and two other men, who were not involved in the jail escape.
“In March of 2024, while conducting the Alkhalil investigation, police uncovered information that has now led to additional charges against Ryan van Gool and two men for allegedly conspiring to murder an individual in Kamloops,” said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Tammy Lobb on Monday.
Lobb said that van Gool, Bryce Telford, 28, and Scott Telford, 61, both originally from Surrey, have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and weapon possession.
“Our investigators uncovered a further murder conspiracy that was about to occur that they prevented, preserving public safety in one of our communities here in our province,” Lobb said. “So they need to be applauded for that today.”
The spokesperson further said that van Gool has been charged in relation to a shooting in Maple Ridge in January 2024.
In total, including the charges related to the jail escape, police said 17 charges had been filed against five men on Monday.
